Ikhswenhsa:kweks
Ikhswenhsa:kweks, or commonly referred to as Raja ibn-La'ahad, is a colonial Mohawk/Syrian Assassin born in Kanatahséton. (1757-Unknown). She is a lifetime friend of the half-breed assassin, Ratonhnhaké:ton and has gone on the same missions as him, joined the Assassin's Creed at the same time as him, eventually so the two have become inseperable for the rest of their lives. Raja has two sons and a daughter. Her Story Sequence 1 Eagle's Sense The sun was shining brightly on Mohawk Valley. The birds singing cheerfully and the leaves falling, gently swaying through the air. "Wake up, Ikhswenhsa:kweks," a voice whispered. "Your father's here!" At that, a little girl rose swiftly from her bed, eager to meet him once again. It was only once a year that this girl's father would visit the village, for private matters that none in the village knew... She quickly straightened her hair and ran out in excitement, embracing a Syrian man - her father, named Almahdi - in the most loving way possible. "Daddy!" she called out. "Hello, my angel! I missed you!" Almahdi said, with small tears in his eyes. It had been so long. "There's a little something I saw on the way here, something I think you would love to see. Come, Raja," Ikhswenhsa:kweks (also referred to as Raja) turned her head towards her mother, whom nodded in an enthusiastic way. Almahdi walked silently outside the village and through the forest smiling, Raja racing ahead in excitement. She was a playful child, only 4 years of age. But that would all change in the future... "Raja," Almahdi called. "There's something I need to tell you. You may not believe it, but you will see soon." Raja listened, walking alongside him, in curiosity. "I have a gift. A legendary sense, a gift that lets me see through the eyes of an eagle. Hence, this is called Eagle Vision. My 5 senses become 6, and I have the ability to track anyone and find anything as I please. Me being your father, I'm sure you have this, too. It might not be as strong as mine yet, you're still very young and have much to learn. I'm going to show you something that might help," he explained. Raja had no comment, only more curious as to where they were going. Finally, at the end of the valley, they stood on a rock at the side of a river. "Look," he said, pointing upwards to a log at the edge of a cliff. "You see that bird there?" he smiled. Raja looked carefully... until she saw a big black, winged figure circling on top of the cliff. It looked like a crow from where she was, but then she looked closer... Raja then gasped, smiling and squealed a bit. It was her favourite animal, the animal that represented her entire life - she was named after it, and she loved them more than anything in the world... again, that was to change soon. "It's an EAGLE!" she screamed excitedly. "Yes!" Almahdi replied. The two were beaming. "Now," he said. The bald eagle landed on a tree across the river. "Concentrate on her, try your hardest and disfocus your eyes as hard as you can." Raja obeyed. Eventually she found her sight blurring and the eagle started to glow... She blinked. Everything seemed... Blue. The eagle glowed white and, as she turned to her father, he glowed gold. "What is this... Is this exclusive to us?" she asked. "As far as I'm concerned, yes. I haven't met another with the same gift, but it could be anyone. No doubt your friend, what was his name? Ratonh--?" he replied. "Ratonhnhaké:ton," she answered. "Yes, him. Something feels special about that boy... it might be he has the same gift. Come now, we have spent enough time here. We must return to the village," Almahdi finally said. It was sunset when they returned. "And how was it?" Raja's mother asked. "Amazing! We saw an eagle!" she answered. Both parents smiled. They hoped their little child would stay like this forever, even though they both knew that wouldn't happen. Everyone grows up... Almahdi then led Raja to a secluded area and revealed a chest. He opened it, showing her its contents. Hooded robes, two blades with - not a hilt - but a gauntlet with a mechanism attached to them. "What is it?" the child asked. "A gift from one of our ancestors," he answered. She automatically knew, and already heard his story, that it was from the legendary Altair Ibn-La'ahad. It was getting late, however, and the two had to rest. The next morning was another clear and warm day. Another child approached. Hide and Seek "Ikhswenhsa:kweks! Come play with us!" he said. It was Kanen'to:kon. "The others are out hunting and we're bored. Ratonhnhaké:ton is coming!" Ratonhnhaké:ton was her best friend. When she heard that name, she had to come. Three other children came, too. They ran out the village and up the hill, to a stone with a large tree next to it. "What will we play?" Ratonhnhaké:ton asked. "Hide and seek!" Kanen'to:kon replied, picking up 6 sticks. "Draw!" Each child drew a stick from his hand. The one with the shortest was 'it' and had to find the others. Raja had the second shortest stick; Ratonhnhaké:ton was 'it'. Raja smiled and ran while he was counting to 100. She found a pile of leaves and sticks. Perfect. Hiding in it, she could hear when he got close. Eventually, she was found along with the others. They played again. This time Raja was it. She also counted to 100, then used her Eagle Vision to find the children. She had perfect sight of where everyone was, but what caught her eye was strangers glowing red. She returned to her normal senses and ran, hiding behind a rock out of sight of the strangers. They had guns... and they were going towards a pile of leaves... And Ratonhnhaké:ton was inside that pile. One stranger, who had a beard, short brown hair and blue eyes had dragged him out. Raja was scared but there was nothing she could do for him. Immediately, he tried to run but was tripped over by another man with black hair and a moustache, who wore a grey coat. "Well, well," the man said. "What do we have here? She watched, silently and shaking, shivers running down her spine, as Ratonhnhaké:ton made a weak attempt to play dead. The man in the grey coat then walked towards him, smirking at his position. The man crouched down and turned Ratonhnhaké:ton over, revealing his frightened expression. Raja too, was very frightened at this encounter. "You look... familar. Where have I seen you before?" the man asked. Raja didn't know what he was talking about. She didn't care much, either. Ratonhnhaké:ton simply spat at the man as a sign of spite. He wiped his face, replying; "That wasn't very nice." Furiously, the man grabbed him. "Let me go!" Ratonhnhaké:ton cried. "Listen to that. He knows English!" The man laughed. "Smart for a savage," another man replied, as the grey-coated figure dragged him across the grass, stopping at a nearby tree and struggled to pick him up. Ratonhnhaké:ton tried his best to fight back, but he was only 5 years old. "Spirited, too!" he replied. He finally managed to lift the boy up and hold him at the tree, dragging his fingers up his body onto his throat, strangling him. Raja felt an ocean of shame wash over her. There must be something she could do... "We have questions for your elders. Only tell us where your village is, boy, and you can go," he sternly told the 5 year old as he gasped lightly for air. Tears began to form in Raja's eyes. An Irishman then approached. "Best do as he asks, child," the Irishman added. "I could snap your neck, you know. A little more pressure and POP! The sad little flame of your life extinguished." the harsh man said. It looked as if Ratonhnhaké:ton was about ready to lose consciousness. Why would they do this to us? Raja thought to herself. "You are a nothing. A speck of dust. You - and all your ilk, living in the dirt like animals, oblivious to the true ways of the world. The wiser among you recognise the shape of the future. They throw themselves at our feet and beg mercy!" One of the men almost looked sorry for the child. The grey coated man strengthened his grip. "But not you, it seems. No... you cling desperately to your ways. Too ignorant to know your folly." He paused for a bit. All Raja could do was hope that it would be over soon... That poor Ratonhnhaké:ton would be spared. "But I am not unkind..." Finally, the man dropped him to the ground. Wide-eyed and still terrified, the boy picked himself up and sat against the tree. Hearing those words angered Raja... Not unkind? That was rather harsh to be 'not unkind'. "And so I spare you, that you may carry word to your people. Let them know the sooner we are given what we seek, the sooner you can return to your pathetic, empty lives. A fair trade, is it not?" The man turned back and looked away, almost meeting the eyes of Raja. "What... is your... name?" Ratonhnhaké:ton asked, bravely but still shaking. The man turned back at him with an amused look on his face. "Heheh... Charles Lee. Why do you ask?" the man answered. "So I can..." Ratonhnhaké:ton stared up at his blue eyes, angrily. "... find you!" he finished. Charles laughed. "I look forward to it!" He walked away, still laughing, signalling his men to follow. The Irishman smiled at Ratonhnhaké:ton before raising his musket and hitting him hard in the head with it, then turned back and followed who Raja presumed to be the leader. Ratonhnhaké:ton lay still on the ground. Raja vaulted over the rock she was hiding behind and ran towards him, kneeling down and almost crying. She lay there for hours, until the moon rose and he opened his eyes. Raja frowned at him, then the two looked around. The sky was... odd. There was a sunset, yet the stars were already showing as if it was night. The children ran past the trees as the leaves blew away from the village, the animals running desperately away. Something was wrong. The village came in sight, then as they got closer... Smoke. No. It couldn't be. But it was... The village was burning! "NO!" the two screamed, crying. They both entered. "MOTHER!!" Ratonhnhaké:ton called and ran off. Raja simply stared in dismay, at all the sounds of fire crackling and the sights of people burning and falling to the ground. She then picked herself up and ran towards her longhouse. All the canoes, the beds, walls, everything was broken - gone. The roof even collapsed on her, her leg getting caught and wounded. Raja eventually pulled out, though, then didn't worry about the pain but instead continuing forwards. Then there was a woman who was burning alive, but instead of reacting to it, the woman cried over an impaled but alive man. Mother. Father. Raja lay next to her mother, who edged away not wanting to get her child hurt. Someone then grabbed her from behind and dragged her away. Almahdi looked towards his daughter then away, not wanting to see her like this... He didn't want to see her parents die. But that was an event that she never forgot. It was then her whole nature changed. She became more violent... more sadistic. Charles Lee would die for what he had done. But then there was one cry that would haunt her forever... The cry of her father, calling out to the others to end his pain. The man who grabbed her pulled her away as she screamed. The cries then suddenly ended. Mother was dead, Almahdi was dead, and now she was on her own. Then Raja limped off to find Ratonhnhaké:ton, who was being escorted unwillingly outside the village. Once outside, she simply fell to the ground, exhausted, traumatised, wounded. Her leg was bleeding badly. She still didn't care. Ratonhnhaké:ton came over and sorrowfully looked into her eyes as she blacked out. Something to Remember 9 years later she greeted Ratonhnhaké:ton and Kanen'to:kon who just returned from the village after collecting feathers and hunting. Two lines were then formed in front of the clan mother's longhouse. Raja and Ratonhnhaké:ton joined the line, and Oia:ner appeared, raising her hands, then lowered gesturing the two to enter. They did so without hesitation, then the two sat at the campfire inside. Raja still had the bad memories of her father in her mind, and they would keep coming no matter how far she tried to push them back. Oia:ner then spoke. "I know you wonder why it is we do not wander from these woods. Why it is we do not join the other Kanien'keha:ka in war." Oia:ner approached the campfire and sat on the other side of the two. "Tonight, you will have your answers." She tended to the fire. "Our village sits on sacred ground. And it is our duty - above all other things - to keep it hidden from the world." "Even if it means allowing our enemies to gain strength?" Ratonhnhaké:ton asked. Raja would simply remain silent. The memories of 9 years ago would still linger in her mind. "It is a difficult position for us. We are caught between the need to act - and the knowledge that doing so endangers us." Oia:ner answered, standing up. "What is so important that you would see us imprisoned by ourselves?" Ratonhnhaké:ton questioned. Oia:ner looked towards Raja. "What bothers you, Ikhswenhsa:kweks?" she asked. Raja jumped a bit. Her mind was still somewhere else. She looked away from Oia:ner sorrowfully. "Memories of the past..." she answered. Oia:ner then approached a wooden box, opened it and took out a crystal ball with strange markings on it. Ratonhnhaké:ton and Raja were drawn to it, curious as to what it is. It began to glow as Oia:ner passed it to them. "What is it?" Ratonhnhaké:ton asked. "A door," Oia:ner answered as Raja touched it curiously. A heavy pulse then emerged from the ball, making the two flinch heavily. They seemed to be in a different world, although it looked the same. There were strange markings on the floor, the wall, everywhere. And Oia:ner was gone. "Clan Mother?" they asked, warily. Raja pulled her hand away from the ball. "Greetings, guardian," a voice sounded out of nowhere. A heavenly figure appeared on the other side of the campfire. "Are you... a spirit?" Ratonhnhaké:ton asked it. "You may think of me as such," it answered. Raja stood, shaking her head at... whatever it was. She grew a headache... her mind then raced back a few centuries, and an image of Altair appeared. There was something Altair must have done that involved the 'spirit'. A name then formed in her mind. "Juno," she whispered. "What are you, then?" "I simply... Came Before," Juno answered. "That does not answer my question very well!" she snapped. Juno simply ignored her. "Where are we?" Ratonhnhaké:ton asked. "You are where you were before. If you mean to ask what it is you now see - it is known as the Nexus. From here, probabilities are calculated so that the proper path may be chosen," Juno said. "This is ridiculous!" Raja replied. Again, Juno ignored her. "What path, then?" she asked. Juno smiled at her. "Yours," she simply replied. The ball pulsated again and the environment changed - again. Now, they were above the clouds... flying? This was all too strange for Raja, but she decided it was best to remain silent for now. She then saw a bald eagle and a... fire bird. Raja was an eagle...? Along with Ratonhnhaké:ton. This was unbelievable, but it was happening. Then again, this gave Raja a true sense of freedom... that was, until; "Follow me," Juno said. The wind seemed so cold rushing through the wind, but she didn't care. She was an eagle, and that was a first. In the distance, Raja saw mountaintops covered in snow and a giant tree. They approached the mountains. "What have you done to me?!" Ratonhnhaké:ton worriedly asked. That, Raja was wondering herself. It didn't seem she cared as much as Ratonhnhaké:ton did, though. He was worried. She liked it, a lot. "Selected a form familiar to your culture. It is designed to ease navigation," Juno answered. The three dived down through the clouds and into a forest covered in snow. The dive seemed quick, scary, but most of all - fun. This was the happiest she'd ever been for years, but even she knew that wouldn't last very long. Raja called out as she dived. She was loving the experience, unlike Ratonhnhaké:ton who seemed scared that he wasn't human anymore. They flew under a log trapped onto two rocks, into the mist just above the ground. "We have waited a millenia for your arrival. You - who will bring to him the last piece. That he may open the door." Now Raja couldn't help but wonder, who is this 'he?' someone from the future? The past? And how distant would 'he' be? "I do not understand!" Ratonhnhaké:ton replied. "Nor need you," Juno said. "I sense my words cause pain... But such was not my intention. You are important, children, in more ways than you will ever know." This was getting extremely suspicious, now. What did she mean? Sequence 2 A Boorish Man The 'spirit' Juno had ordered the duo to seek a symbol that would lead them to a man, who would train and help them protect their people. So they set out. They crossed cliffs and logs, fought off cougars, climbed rocks and trees, and finally reached their destination - a mansion on a hill, overlooking the sea. Raja knocked lightly on the door, unsure of what might occur. There was no answer on the door, until Ratonhnhaké:ton knocked slightly harder. An old, dark-skinned man answered. "What?" he simply asked. Ratonhnhaké:ton replied, with the least bit of confidence in his voice. "Um... We... We were told you could train us." The old man didn't even consider it. "No," he answered, and shut the door. Raja knocked again. Sternly, the old man raised his voice. "Go, away," The two indigenous exchanged looks. Night began to fall and clouds rained as they glanced around for a place to rest, when Ratonhnhaké:ton spotted a barn. Raja noticed his gaze. "Is that... a good idea?" "What other choice do we have?" She saw his point, and the two proceeded, laying out mats that were given to them by the Clan Mother, and sleeping while Raja would always keep the chest her father gave her close. The next morning was hot, not that the two teenagers minded, as the birds sang and the crickets chirped. This time, the duo came from the back door. Raja knocked again. "Please, all we ask is a moment of your time!" Ratonhnhaké:ton called up as a window on the second floor opened, and the old man flashed annoyed eyes at him. "I apologize if I've been unclear - or otherwise confused you with my words. It was never my intention to mislead, so let me try to clarify; GET THE HELL OFF MY LAND!" he yelled, shutting the window and storming off. Ratonhnhaké:ton insisted upon climbing the balcony and trying from there, but Raja was convinced that the man would still refuse. "Just here me out! What are you so afraid of?!" Ratonhnhaké:ton called. Suddenly, the door opened and the old man, scowling, approached as Ratonhnhaké:ton backed away, Raja staying at the side. "Afraid!? You think I'm afraid of ANYTHING, least of all, a self-important little scab like you?!" With a swift movement of his cane, the old man tripped Ratonhnhaké:ton over, his shoulder hitting hard against the wood as Raja sprinted towards him, giving the man a disgusted look as he continued to talk. "Oh, you might dream of being a hero. Of riding to rescues, of saving the world - but stay this course, and the only thing you're gonna be is DEAD." "You are wrong! We do not insist on doing the things we say you do - you know that, and the only reason you will not accept us is because you have already given up!" Raja snarled, without thinking. As the man attempted to trip her over, too, she swiftly jumped and landed in a crouching position. He ignored her, and instead turned back. "The world's moved on. Best you do, too." The young woman growled and yelled, "We will not leave! Do you hear me?! We will NEVER leave!" The two slept in the barn on another rainy night, only to be awoken by a pair of intruders. They overheard them talking about the old man, not something good about him, Raja figured. "Who are you?" Ratonhnhaké:ton asked them. "No one you need concern yourself with, little breeches," one replied. "Best cut 'fore something bad 'appens," the other added. "No." Raja stepped out of the shadows in a slightly threatening way, readying herself for combat if necessary - and so it came to be. The intruders exchanged looks, smirking at each other. "Oh, but it'd be unfair against a fair lady like you, eh?" the second jeered. Raja simply drew a knife, then the intruders raised their fists. "Can't say we didn't warn ya," the first said. As one threw a punch against Raja, she reared to the left, cutting his hand and grabbing him, then uppercutting his jaw harshly. Ratonhnhaké:ton finished off the other soon after. "Why are you here? What do you want?" he questioned, holding him by his collar and holding him on the ground. "Best ask the bossman," the intruder replied, as Ratonhnhaké:ton turned around to see a club being lowered onto his face. The tides were turned against the boy, for now he was the one being held to the ground and questioned. Before Raja could react, another intruder came from behind and disarmed her. She, too, was then restrained. "You lot workin' for the old man, then? That it?" he asked. Ratonhnhaké:ton stayed silent. "Maybe this'll get ya talkin'," he added, raising his club, however it was too late for him - a dagger protruded from his throat, a hand covering his mouth and muffling his scream, then falling with a hard thud in the mud. It was the old man, who helped Ratonhnhaké:ton off his feet as Raja pulled herself up. "Thank you," he gasped. "Clean this up," the old man ordered. Raja hesitated, but the two had no choice and started disposing of the bodies. "Then, I suppose we should talk..." he finally admitted. Category:Aquila